Lock device for fire-arms



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. D. B. WESSON.

LOOK DEVICE FOR FIRE ARMS.

Patented A rqlz, 1887.

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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2., D. B. WESSON.

'LOGK DEVICE FOR FIRE ARMS.

No. 361,100. PatentedApr. 12, 1887" NVENTEIIT. 22w,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL B. W'ESSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

LOCK DEVICE FOR FlRE-ARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 361,100, dated April12, 1887.

Application filed August 4, 1886.

' To all whom it may concern.-

.being applicable to arms provided with either concealed or visiblehammers; and theinvention consists in the peculiar construction andarrangement of the lock devices and guard of the arm, all as hereinafterfully described, and set forth in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this speci fication, Figure 1 is a sideelevation, partly in section, of that part of a fire'arm containing thelock mechanism embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig.1, but showing the guard of the arm and the cockingtrigger in section.Fig. 3 illustrates the position of the cocking-trigger and thefiring-triggerwhen the hammer is brought to full cock and is broughtunder the control of the latter-named trigger. Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of the firing and cocking trigger in the condition in which theyare placed in the arm. Fig. 5 is a similar view to Fig. 4., but showingthe side of the firing-trigger broken away. Fig. 6 illustrates thefiringtrigger in front and rear and in side elevations. Fig. 7illustrates the firingtrigger in side and in front elevation. Fig. 8shows a front and a side elevation of the sear. Fig. 9 shows a side andan edge elevation of the sear-lever.

In the drawings, 2 indicates the frame part of the fire-arm, in whichare located the lock devices of the latter, and to the under side ofwhich the guard 3 is secured; but in this construction said guard ismade with a double loop to provide means for the separate andindependent action of two of the fingers of the hand on the triggerswhen the arm is fired, as below described, the said guard having alongitudinal slot, 4, through its central rib, between its two loops, inwhich the cocking'trigger 5 swings. The hammer 6 is of the ordinarytype, and is illustrated in what is termed Serial No. 209,993. 1N0model.)

a concealed-hammer arm, and is provided with the usual sear-notch, 8,and is attached to the ordinary mainspring, 9, in the usual way, andswings on the pivot 10.

The below described cooking and firing triggers, together with theirpeculiar sear and sear-lever construction, provide great advantages inconcealed-hammer pistols and other similar arms, with or without suchhammers, in that they permit the hammer to be brought to a full-cock,and then to be fired by a free finger of the hand while the hammer isheld cooked by another finger, thus permitting the arm to be manipulatedmore delicately and fired with much more accuracy.

The cocking-trigger 5 is pivoted at 12 in the frame of the arm, and itslower end extends downward through the upperloop of the guard 3, passesthrough the slot 4 in the central rib, 13, and its lower end hangs inthe lower loop of the guard, as shown. Aspring,14,engages under aprojection, 15, on said trigger, to swing the latter to the positionshown in Fig. 1, orthat which is required preparatory to firing the arm.Said cocking-trigger is chambered between its sides, as shown in Figs. 2and 3, where it is shown in longitudinal section in Fig. 6, where itsfront and rear edges are shown, and in Fig. 5, in which one side isbroken away. The chamber in said trigger is provided for the receptionof the sear-lever 16, which, together with the scar17, is pivoted in theupper end of said trigger at 18, the joint part of said scar enteringbetween the bifurcated ends of the sear-lever, and being capable, asbelow described, of swinging independ eutly of and in conjunction withsaid sear-lever in the act of cooking and firing the arm.

A laterally-projecting lip, 19, on the sear 17 affords a bearing for oneend of a spring, 20, which is secured by its other end to the pawl 21,which acts to rotate the cylinder of the arm, said pawl having asuitable connection with the upper end of the trigger 5, as shown inFig. 1. Spring 20 serves both to swing the upper end of said pawloutward toward said cylinder (not shown in the drawings) and to swingthe free end of the sear against the hammer and cause it to engage withthe sear-notch 8 thereon.

The scar 17 and the sear-lever 16, respectively, are each provided witha shoulder, 22 and 23, which shoulders are brought together when, afterthe sear has become engaged with the sear-notch of the hammer, thecookingtrigger 5 is in the act of cooking the arm swung from theposition shown in Figs. 1 and 2 to that shown in Fig. 3, and when saidshoulders are in conjunction the sear is brought under the control ofthe trigger-lever 16.

The firing-trigger 24 has a curved face, as shown, and arearWardly-projecting lip, 25, and is pivoted by its upper end in thecockingtrigger 5, as shown, and its lip 25 enters the chamber in thelast-named trigger and terminates directly before the lower end of thetrigger-lever 16.

The operation of my improvementsis as follows: When the arm is to befired, the arm is held by placing (preferably) the first and secondfingers of the hand respectively through the upper and the lower loopsof theguard 3, thus bringing the second finger against the tail of thecocking-trigger and the first finger to such a position before thefiring-trigger asenables the operator to operate the latter at will. Thecocking-trigger is then pulled, swinging its lower end rearward] y andbringing it to a stop against the end of the slot 41in the guard, andthereby the hammer is brought to a cocked position, as in Fig. 3,thesear 17 swinging on the pivot 18 and maintaining its engagement withthe hammer while the latter swings, and when, or shortly before, itcomes to afull-cock the shoulders 23 and 22 of the sear and searlevermeet, causing the lower end of the latter to swing against the edge ofthe lip 25 on the firing-trigger 24, swinging the lower end of thelatter outwardslightl y from the cocking-trigger to the position shownin Fig. 3, and then,with thesaidfirstfingerofthehand,thefiring-triggeris pressed,swinging rearwardly the tail oflever 16 and throwing the endof the sear out of the sear-notch on the hammer, letting the latterswing and fire the arm. After firing,trigger 5 is released and thespring 14 returns the parts to the positions shown in Fig. 1, and saidoperations may be repeated. Thus it is seen that in the act of firing,as above described, when the cocking-trigger is pulled the sear at firstswings independently of and finally in conjunction with the sear-lever,bringing the latter and the firing-trigger into such delicate leverrelation pull, which is all-important when accuracy-of aim is desired.

What I claim as my invention is 1. Improved lock devices forfire-arms,con sisting of the cooking-trigger pivoted in the frame of the arm, thesear and the sear-lever, having a common pivotal connection on saidtrigger, said sear havinga swinging movement independently ofsaidleverandin conjunction therewith, combined with the firing-triggerpivoted in the cocking-trigger and engaging with said lever, and thehammer, substantially as set forth.

2. The cocking-trigger, the scar and the sear-lever pivoted on saidtrigger and having a co-engagement one with the other,the firingtriggerpivoted on and swingingindepcndently of the cocking-trigger and engagingwith said lever, combined with a hammer concealed in the frame of thearm, substantially as set forth.

3. A guard for fire-arms having two loops separated by alongitudinally-slotted rib, combined with the cocking-lever pivoted inthe frame of the arm and passing transversely through said two loops andslot, and having a vibratory motion therein, and terminating in thelower loop of the guard,and the firing-trigger pivoted in thecocking-trigger within the upper loop of said guard, substantially asset forth.

4. The cockingtrigger capable of a vibratory motion in the frame of thearm, the scar and the sear-lever pivoted on said trigger atthesamepoint,andprovided each with ashoulder for engagement with eachother,combined with the firing-trigger, the hammer, and a spring toswing said scar toward the latter, substantially as set forth.

DANIEL B. \VESSON.

that the arm is fired with a very light trigger

